A page from my journal...

Basketball season is nearing it's end in our house. I have two girls on the high school Junior Varsity basketball team. One of them dresses Varsity along with two other JV players.

On the JV team, these girls are starters. You can see them leading and encouraging their teammates. From the beginning of the season, they practiced, played and knew their role on the team.

On Varsity, their role was mostly on the bench, sometimes subbing in when their was foul trouble, injuries, or the score was just too ridiculous not to let them have some time on the court. At least that is how the season started.

This changed for one of the JV players. Due to an injury of one of the Varsity team members, she saw some significant playing time. She proved herself during that time on the court. By the end of the season, she no longer even dressed for JV. She is a Varsity starter. It has been so fun to watch her play this season.

I sorta feel like these three JV players.

I started out this season of work on the JV team. I have excellent coaches who have been teaching me the plays, how to improve and how to do the best job that I can in the area of my interest and giftedness.

I'm pretty good where I'm at. I'm totally comfortable running plays and even leading and encouraging others on the team. I feel like I'm a team captain. People kind of look up to me.

In the writing world, I've been invited up to the Varsity team.

My work has been noticed. I'm getting some playing time.

I struggle a little more than the others on the court--the ones who are used to playing with each other. They know the plays. Subbing in and out, I'm getting to know the plays and the players. I'm using words like proposals, promotion, and publishing. These terms were always a part of the training on JV, but generally didn't apply as much.

I'm not on the Varsity starting team. And I cannot even say if that is the place that God wants me.